Family of slain Thai student accepts US coroner’s finding

BANGKOK: The family of the 25-year-old Thai law student stabbed to death in an apartment in the United States has accepted the finding of a Seattle coroner that she was killed by her older friend, who then killed herself.

Kornkamol Leenavarat, 25, (centre) with members of her family at Suvarnabhumi airport on Aug 21, when she left for the United States. She and her Thai room-mate were found stabbed to death in their apartment in Seattle on Tuesday (Sept 4). Photo: Weerasak Leenavarat / Facebook via Bangkok Post

Weerasak Leenavarat, elder brother of Kornkamol Leenavarat, said the family had no doubts about the forensic finding by US authorities.

Ms Kornkamol, 25, and her Thai roommate Thiti-on Chotchuangsap, 32, were found dead in a University District apartment near the University of Washington in Seattle, on Tuesday morning (Sept 4).

The King County Medical Examiner’s Office yesterday (Sept 6) ruled it was a homicide. Thiti-on stabbed Ms Kornkamol to death and then took her own life, according to the Seattle Times.

The 32-year-old woman died from a single, self-inflicted stab wound to the chest. They both died last Saturday (Sept 1).

An emotional Mr Weerasak, a member of the Pathum Thani provincial council, spoke of the family’s distress at his residence in Khlong Luang district today (Sept 7).

“The family cannot come to terms with the sudden death of ‘Nong Am’. She was lovely and most beloved by all of the family, particularly our father. We never expected this would happen. We have lost her forever,” he said.

Two older brothers were making arrangements for Ms Kornkamol’s body to be sent back home for funeral rites.

The body was expected to be flown back within the next week, Mr Weerasak said.

After her death, he had just looked at family photos taken on Aug 21, the date they saw her off at the airport. He was shocked to see that all the family were wearing black clothes. He was a shy man, he said, but on that day he had hugged his youngest sister.

The family never dreamed it would be their final farewell for their loved one, he said.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Busadee Santipitak said today that the Thai consulate-general in Los Angeles had already been notified of the finding of the King County Medical Examiner.

The consulate-general had been in contact with the families of both women.

Thanks to Kurt's investigations we know now the motive behind the murder/suicide. Even the financial status of the murdered woman's father is brought to light.They can close the case now.The families will be happy to read this.

Kurt |
13 September 2018 - 05:27:39

A tragic end of a romance. Perhaps the younger' was taken care off many years by older well business earning one during expensive study and living in Vancouver. ( father 'younger',retired deputy village mayor could not have paid all of it).Now she probably wanted to leave her many years caretaking older lover. The older one became thai jealous, and we know what can come with that.